Greetings!
I’m looking forward to learning together this semester. Before I get started with this week’s post, feel free to take a few moments to read About me. My journey to a career in learning hasn’t been a straight path, but one that has helped me appreciate that learning is a journey for everyone. Now that we know each other, let’s get going!
As a learning designer, one of my primary concerns is keeping up with my learners’ expectations of what engaging learning looks like. To many, engaging learning is learning that meets them where they are when they need it that allows interaction or activity. Mobile learning is a perfect complement to make learning more engaging.
Currently, the majority of my organization’s learning is facilitated through in-person courses and some eLearning modules. In the last several years we have gradually reduced the amount of courses that are solely offered through instructor-led opportunities and converted some of those to eLearning. For our development, we primarily use Camtasia for video and Captivate for more interactive eLearning courses. Captivate supports the use of a responsive user interface that adapts to the device that the learner is taking the course on—whether it be on a PC or a “wireless interactive learning device” aka a WILD device (Pea 2006). Having the ability to bring the learning to learners geographically and at the time they need it most is well served by the use of mobile learning.
Like many people, when I need to learn something—maybe a DIY task that I am unfamiliar with—I google it. And while I may have searched it on a computer in years past, I now, almost exclusively search it on my phone. Just last weekend I patches some holes in a wall and I had my phone next to me and watched a video step by step as I was performing the task. My phone did wind up with a little sanding dust, but, my trusty companion helped me perform the task at a higher level than without the aid. One of my goals is to eventually make this a reality for my organization. A reality in which my learners can use either their smart phone or a work-issued tablet to have next to them while they perform a task as an on the spot training aid. It takes learning customization to a whole new level because the learning is happening exactly where and when it needs to.
Pea and Maldonado were very accurate in their descriptions of the possibilities of what and how WILD can be used to support learning. They named 7 aspects to the devices:
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size and portability;
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small screen size;
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computing power and modular platform;
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communication ability through wireless and infrared beaming networks;
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wide range of available multipurpose applications;
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ready ability to synchronize and backup with other computers; and
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stylus driven interface. (Pea 2006)
Really, the only area they over-estimated was the stylus. However, one could argue that the advancement in the ability of screens to pick up a user’s fingertip in place of a stylus only helped make devices more mobile because a stylus is not required. In some cases, like fine detailed drawing or drafting a stylus may still be preferred in today’s environment.
Recently, I have begun exploring the use of augmented and virtual reality courses to support our learners needs. Captivate offers this ability through the use of 360 degree photos. And the use of this type of learning seems to suit exploratory training in a variety of environments. In workforce education, this would be excellent for safety training in which there are physical hazards and tours of spaces to explore tasks associated with those spaces just to name a few. The best part about using augmented and virtual reality is that it allows the learner to associate the correct environment with what they learned. Sometimes people make comments regarding how training is nothing like the real world. Well, both of these overcome that issue quite realistically.
Another concern addressed by Pea and Maldonado that impresses me is the observation about interruption. For all of us who have taught anyone who owns a smart phone, we know how distracting they can be. In their observation they describe how
WILD interventions have several common design concerns, such as interruptions- determining when is it appropriate to interrupt the user with a suggestion, and how to detect when the learning intervention has been interrupted by real-world events requiring the user’s attention – as well as context. “Context” refers to the hand-held’s ability to use implicit information about its user’s whereabouts and activities. (Pea 2006)
This conversation would be most relevant for me when I think of a WILD with a performance support system to help guide users as they are performing a task. Or when using a device that is constantly on a person’s body, like a watch, in which excessive interaction could be counterproductive and cause a learner to disable features that may be notifying them too often.
For me, learning with the use of WILD helps overcome several issues and feedback requests that I have received in workplace learning. Relevancy, accessibility and timing are key to the development of new knowledge. With advancements in the ability of devices and the ability for rapid development tools to support creation of these types of learning experiences, it is clear that mobile learning will become mainstream.
Pea, R. D., & Maldonado, H. (2006). WILD for learning: Interacting through new computing devices anytime, anywhere. In R. K. Sawyer (Ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences (pp. 427–441). New York: Cambridge University Press.